Chakwera pledges to make Malawi better place for all

Newly elected President of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) Dr Lazarus Chakwera has pledged that he would create a better Malawi for all if elected to be Head of State next year committed to o the rule of law and on the transformation of policies, institutions and systems towards being citizen centered.

In his acceptance speech to his new post at the closure of the MCP convention Sunday at Natural Resources College in Lilongwe, Chakwera said MCP challenges will be accelerating progress in closing development gaps between rural and urban areas; political parties should embrace policy-based politics.

“If we practice good intra-party politics it means we will also have good politics at national level,” said Chakwera.

“Good governance is like a mirror and whatever happens at national level reflects the practices in the political parties. If things are well in a political party even government can perform better,” he added.

Chakwera: Let’s have intra-party deocrcay

“We need policy based politics. When I announced that I have joined politics people had worries that as a Church Pastor who does not know politics, how will I do politics, just because there is a misconception about politics. However, the politics I am talking about is policy based which is able to deal with issues,” said Chakwera.

Chakwera, considered to be a new political broom to sweep the country politics riddled with corruption and all vices, said Malawi should start respecting laid down policies and start respecting its people instead of victimizing individuals just because of the political parties that they support.

“Let people do business and work without looking at the colors that they wear, political interference can result in people not working so hard, people are demotivated if the colors that they put on influence certain decisions,” he said.

Upbeat MCP to rule

Chakwera said that 2014 is the year that the MCP would go back into government.

He, however, said all what he needed as a leader was support from God as well as from both the newly elected executive members and the outgoing party executive members as well as the entire party membership.

“People should have positions not in a name but everyone needs to play their rightful role. A team can lose a game just because everyone wants to be a star,” said Chakwera.

“Let us put this party in front to fight our battles as it has done before,” added Chakwera.

Chakwera also said that one of his vision is to see the country moving from substance farming to a position where people will start looking at agriculture as business and not only as a source of food in their homes.

“Let us have a vision beyond our immediate needs and beyond ourselves regardless of which political party we support. As Malawians let’s have one agenda,” he said.

Observer’s comment

A law lecture at University of Malawi’s Chancellor College, Sunduzwayo Madise, said he was impressed with Chakwera’s acceptance speech.

“Ignore this man at your peril!” noted Madise on social media.

“Whosoever said he [Chakwera] is a political novice should think again! The dude is a natural orator. Slides into political rhetoric like a hand in glove. And he connects with the people!”

“Looks like 2014 will be an exciting year! Nyasa Times is right: game changer!Who has won and lost with this is yet to be seen! For now savour these exciting times,” wrote Madise on his Fcaebook Timeline.